How to beat the baby blues

For the majority of new mums, the baby blues last for a period of days; at most, up to a week. Things will soon get back to normal as your body rediscovers its hormonal balance.

Don’t be shy about talking your worries over and sharing your negative feelings with others.

In hospital, staff on your maternity ward are there to help you and will have tons of experience of dealing with the baby blues.

Cry all you want: express your emotions, share your worries and be open about them: it will help them go away!

You’ll also find a listening ear, good advice a shoulder to cry on either at your doctor’s surgery, or from your midwife or nurse.

Rely on those around you, especially your partner : talk to hilm and ask him for help. And your friends, sisters, and your mum are good sources of support and comfort.

When you first go home after the birth, you’re bound to feel fragile. Getting on with your life and the pressure of being ‘alone’ with your baby can be hard to deal with, not to mention the sleepless nights. These little worries all have the same causes and the same solutions: talk to people, ask for their help with the baby (leave the baby with someone you trust for a couple of hours while you take some time out for yourself, for example).

If, after 2 weeks at home, you’re not feeling any better, go and see your doctor. He will decide if you need any treatement such as counselling.

The birth of a child can make old psychological problems recur for some women (if you had a difficult relationship with your own mother, for example), and if this is the case you’ll need more care to help you get over it and be a happy mother to your new baby.